Pentagon short on physicians and nurses

[Guest guest]

AP Exclusive: Pentagon to recruit aliens on visas

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer ine Jelinek,

Associated Press Writer – Fri Dec 5, 6:27 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Struggling to find enough doctors, nurses and linguists

for the war effort, the Pentagon will temporarily recruit foreigners

who have been living in the United States on student and work visas,

or with refugee or political asylum status.

Defense Secretary Gates has authorized the Army, Navy, Air

Force and Marine Corps to recruit certain legal residents whose

critical medical and language skills are " vital to the national

interest, " officials said, using for the first time a law passed three

years ago.

Though the military previously has taken recruits with green cards

seeking permanent residency, Gates' action enables the services to

start a one-year pilot program to find up to 1,000 foreigners who have

lived in the states legally for at least two years on certain types of

temporary visas.

The new recruits into the armed forces would get accelerated treatment

in the process toward becoming U.S. citizens in return for serving in

the wartime military in the United States or abroad.

" The services are doing a tremendous job of recruiting quality

personnel to meet our various missions, " sometimes with bonus pay and

tuition for medical school, said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of

defense for military personnel policy. But they haven't been able to

fill their need for 24,000 doctors, dentists and nurses in the Defense

Department.

The Pentagon's doctor and nurse corps remain 1,000 short of the

numbers needed to treat patients, and Carr said he hoped the program

would fill the gaps.

The military's most pressing need is for neurosurgeons and

dermatologists to treat troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan

with brain and burn injuries caused by insurgents' wide use of

roadside bombs and suicide bombs.

The force also lacks nurses with a broad range of specialties, Carr

said...

Of the 1,000 new people, at least a third must be medical

professionals, Carr said.

" It is exceptional, limited, vital, " he said of the effort...

The armed forces have used foreigners since the War of 1812 — over the

years some 700,000 have served...

There are now 29,000 non-citizens in uniform today, Carr said, with

about 8,000 more enlisting every year.

He expects that among those who will be interested in the new effort

are doctors with work visas who are working at hospitals around the

country, a program aimed at tackling shortages among U.S. medical

professionals.

The military has never recruited non-green card holders, but a law

passed three years ago lets them do so when it is determined to be

vital to the national interest.

On Nov. 25, Gates declared that to be the case for the purpose of

getting more doctors, nurses and linguists...

Health care workers also will have to meet all medical professional

criteria to practice, be proficient in English, and agree to enlist

either for three years on active duty or six years as reservists...

http://news./s/ap/20081205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_recruiting